
Address and Contact Information
Address: 115 Essex St, New York, NY 10002
Phone: (646) 678-5020
Website: https://wabinori.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
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Related Web Results
Wabi Nori | Japanese Sushi Restaurant NYC – Lower East Side
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Reviews
While the service was impeccable and the rock shrimp was a standout, the sushi was a bit of a mixed bag. The salmon nigiri was fresh and enjoyable, but the hand rolls were just average. The enoki, miso cod, salmon, and scallop hand rolls lacked a seasoning – fish roe, jalapeño, bonito flakes – or a textural contrast needed to make them truly memorable.
On the bright side, the edamame was served warm, perfectly charred, and generously portioned. I also highly recommend the Kesseler Riesling, which paired beautifully with the meal. I’d definitely return to explore more of the menu.
The fish tasted super fresh and clean, and everything felt thoughtfully made rather than overcomplicated. The rolls weren’t drowning in sauces, so you could actually taste the ingredients. I especially liked how balanced everything was — light, comforting, and satisfying without feeling heavy after. It’s the kind of meal that leaves you feeling good, not stuffed.
Service was friendly and easygoing too. Nothing stiff or formal — just genuine, welcoming energy that makes you want to stay a little longer. Reservations are recommended especially when on the weekends and it got packed up real fast when I went. My date was late but the manager was very accommodating and got us seated in a prompt manner so thank you.
Overall, Wabi Nori feels like a quiet gem — perfect if you want quality sushi and a relaxed atmosphere without the hype. Definitely a spot I’d come back to when I’m craving something simple, fresh, and comforting.
We had the espresso martini and matcha gimblet and both were so good, but the espresso martini was special. It was the best and most refreshing one I’ve ever had without the heavy kahlua flavor, and it was pretty with a latte art!
We started off with the crispy tuna and yellowtail crudo. The yellowtail was fresh, so buttery and soft, and the flavors were light to get us hungry. The crispy tuna was delicious, the perfect amount of crispy to tuna ratio.
Both apps got us super excited for our mains which were 4 and 5 piece signature hand rolls, and we ordered an extra special roll of the miso cod. Hand rolls had such a good variety, includes crab, toro, spicy tuna, salmon, and scallops. Everything was tasty but the miso cod, the spicy tuna, and the toro were the best!
Special mentions – Nick the manager/bartender and Queenie our server offered the most attentive and warm service! The green drink I got was outside of the menu that Nick offered to make, and it was a yuzu based drink that was super refreshing too
What really sets Wabi Nori apart is the appetizers. For a hand roll restaurant, the appetizer selection is exceptional and honestly one of a kind. We started with the soft shell crab, yellowtail jalapeño sashimi, rock shrimp, and Kumamoto oysters, and oh my gosh… every single bite was packed with flavor. Everything was fresh, well-balanced, and beautifully executed.
For the hand rolls, I ordered the five hand roll set from Restaurant Week, which included the spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail, bay scallop, and EB mushroom hand rolls. My absolute favorites were the spicy tuna and the bay scallop; both were outstanding. While the other hand rolls were still very delicious, if I’m being honest and comparing the two, they didn’t quite beat KazuNori for me personally. That said, they were still excellent and absolutely worth ordering.
For dessert, I had the house-made cheesecake, which was the perfect ending to the meal. To drink, I ordered the strawberry matcha, but instead of coconut rum, I swapped it for whiskey… and if you’re a whiskey drinker, trust me, this swap is elite. The sweetness of the matcha and strawberry really accentuates the whiskey and takes the drink to a whole new level.
We also had an espresso martini and a dirty martini, and I can confidently say this: even though they don’t have blue cheese olives, the dirty martini here was the best dirty martini I’ve had in my entire life and I’ve had a lot of dirty martinis.
Overall, Wabi Nori is 100% a spot I would come back to and enthusiastically recommend to others. From the appetizers to the cocktails to the overall experience, it’s truly something special.
We were seated fast and all the servers were very polite. We came for restaurant week menu -45$ preset, seemed promising. 2 people eating.
We ordered for starters ; the rock shrimp and soft crab – both were deep fried and very mildly flavored. Mostly just tasted the oil.
The main was a preset 5 set hand roll ; fried enoki mushroom, spicy tuna, salmon, yellow tale, crab meat salad. The sushi was just really not great. All the flavors were off, the yellow tale was masked by off putting parsley flavor, the crab had strange after taste, none of the fish had a deep fish flavor you’d expect from hand roll at all.
For desert we got the mascarpone pistachio and the cheese cake. The cheesecake was awful and sent back, got chocolate mousse, equally bad. The deserts over all reminded me of hotel buffet food and not in the good way.
The food mostly just photographs well, but the taste was a no.
For the vibe i want to say, the place is loud! Holding a conversation was hard, had to yell over chatter and loud music. Extremely uncomfortable seating.
Overall was a bummer experience, i really expected more. Don’t see myself returning.
Ps.
Theres a 3$ charge if u pay card ):
I got their truffle tuna, crispy rice, crispy squid, shishito peppers, and their 4 pc handroll set. Overall, I thought that the appetizers were okay. While they were good, nothing was unique or stood out to me about them. Quality was also okay. For the handrolls, I thought they were also good but smaller in comparison to other spots I’ve been to. In addition, it took about 8-12 minutes in between each handroll being delivered to us, so it was a long wait. I wish the kitchen service was as better in this aspect. Because of that, we ordered another appetizer. Looking back, I think that it’s an okay spot for handrolls. Stellar bar service but I wish kitchen was just a bit faster.